A Family Disrupted

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Coping with the death of a sibling.

Part of the Four Films on Grief and Bereavement series.

The death of a sibling is a profound experience. It represents the loss of a shared history, and an uncertain future without the cherished loved one whose companionship may sometimes have been taken for granted. Lois, Jerry, and Claire have each unexpectedly lost a sibling. They share moving insights into how they and their families have coped with grief and with the unanswered, perhaps unanswerable questions of death and loss. They describe what it's like to deal with friends and extended family members who don't share or may not want to engage in their sorrow and the inappropriate comments people often make. They acknowledge that the ways they preferred to mourn were at times in conflict with those of their parents, and they all reflect on the impact their sibling's death has had on their current family dynamics. Lois's father died at an early age, and her sister's death came only months after her mother's; she must live with the fact that she is the last person alive from her immediate family. Jerry and Claire must cope with parents who have become overprotective afraid that the worst might also happen to them. All three experience a sense of anger at God, at their lost sibling, and at themselves.